The Parading Of Sin

I know I said this last time, but I will make it a point of returning to this blog a lot more frequently.  When I looked at the last few posts, I didn't realize it had been so long.

Returning to the book of Isaiah, chapter 3, I am reminded of how much of this chapter is reflected in our society today.

This chapter is titled "Judgement against Judah" and in it the Lord took away everything from Jerusalem and Judah, everything they depended on.  All food, water, soldiers, high officials, judges.  Everyone.

A line in verse 5 gave me the chills: ". . .Young people will insult their elders, and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable."  My mind goes to our current political climate (take off your left/right hat for a moment and stand back.)  If you viewed the latest speech by our President with vileness, remember verse 5.  Be better than that.

Line 9 was especially troubling too: ". . . they display their sin like the people of Sodom and don't even try to hide it."  Sin is being paraded around us everywhere, on our streets, on our social media feeds, news, and on the shows we watch.

Finally, starting at verse 16, the "beautiful" is flirting with their eyes, flaunting their wares.  But the Lord will strip away all of the beautifulness, the physical objects, and will judge them for their sins.

Whom Do You Trust?

Continuing on in chapter two from the book of Isaiah, I am touched by how much is relevant in today's society.  Not only in society as a whole, but in each of our daily lives.

In verse 6, it speaks of superstitions and pagan practices being taught, people embracing those practices, and turning away from the Lord.  The people worships their idols, bowing down to only work with their hands (being selfish), and human pride overcame them.

By verse 12, the Lord has a day in store for those prideful souls.  A day when their idols will disappear and they are humbled by His presence.

Verse 22, the last verse of that chapter, says, "Stop trusting in here humans . . ."

Put your trust in the Lord, not by humans.

Pray For Your Church Leaders Too

I had an experience over the weekend that made me realize something important: our leaders need our prayers too.  Even our church/religious leaders.  They are no exception.

This particular pastor was going through a difficult time with the passing of his mother.  The passing was six months or so prior, and a memorial service was being planned.  Lots of memories flooded back to him, as he poured his soul out at the pulpit.

I prayed for this pastor, for healing.

Then it dawned on me that church leaders are not exempt from needing prayers too.

So the next time you pray, include your church leaders too.

Residing in God's House

Psalm 84 is a love letter to the Lord, to dwell in His House.

There is a saying that goes, home is where the heart is.  That is also true when we talk about the Lord's House.

In much the same way a sparrow finds a home in its nest, so should we when we dwell with the Lord.  That is where we find our strength, where the Lord hears ours prayers.

Verse 10 says, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere."

The Lord blesses those who trust in Him.

God's House may not necessarily by church specifically, but rather our own hearts.  Keep the Lord within us by praying daily and often.

Reminiscent of the nation today

I know, I know, it's been a long time since I've blogged on here.  I'm making a commitment to write more often and consistently.

That being said, I'm now in the book of Isaiah, and in reading chapter 1, I get the feeling that this could've been written in today's time.

The chapter starts out with how the children is Israel have turned their backs on the Lord, how they have rebelled against Him.  In verse 3, it says that an ox knows its master, a donkey recognizes its caregiver, but the Lord's people do not.

In verse 7, it speaks of foreigners plundering the fields and destroying everything, and in verse 9 it compares Israel to Sodom and Gomorrah--and we all remember what happened to those places.

In verses 11-13, God states that he is tired of our meaningless prayers and offerings, because at the same time the people celebrate their sins and ungodly celebrations.

By verse 17, He says to learn to do good, seek justice, and help the oppressed.  Defend orphans and help widows.  Repent of your sins and Israel will become a Godly place once again.

From A Widow's Point of View About "A Man Called Otto" Movie

Last weekend, my girlfriend and I went to see the movie "A Man Called Otto" starring Tom Hanks.

Given that we both had lost spouses, and from what we heard about Tom Hank's character, we had reservations about the movie since the character Otto was a widow, but knew it would be good and it certainly was!

Looking at the world through the lens of a widow/widower is not easy for some and not quite so difficult for others.  Both of us seem to be in the former camp, as we have strong values when it comes to how we view death.

We are both Christians and with that comes a strong sense of faith and belief that death is not permanent.  We will both see our former spouses again in Heaven one day.  And that is not to say we do not grieve our former spouses.  We do.  But with our values, we have found a way to move on and live life the way God wants us to.

On a side note, there was an element to the movie that gave me pause, and it will be a topic that I will dive into down the road.  I'm just not ready at the moment.  And that topic is suicide.

But that, my friends, will be for another day.

What Is Love?

As I started to read from Song of Songs, I knew I couldn't dissect each chapter like I had done other books from the Bible.  There was much repetition, in both words and theme, and in the end I decided to sum it all down into a single post.

The chapters in the Song of Songs were written with different speakers in mind, from "young man" and "young woman" to "young women of Jerusalem" and "the young man's brothers".

When I was young, in Sunday School, we blushed when we read the words in this iconic book.  On one hand, if you take words literally, there is a highly sexual undertone to the language.  But on the other, when you sit back and let the Lord bless you through His mighty words, you get another sense: God's eternal love of us.

If married couples around the globe treated their respective partners with as much admiration and love as is written in this book (it's only 8 chapters, and not that long), my feeling is that the divorce rate would go down dramatically.

Read it.  Take in the language, the words.  Pray and let God's Love shine onto you.